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Cartoon Network Friday Spotlight: Ben 10- "Ken 10"

Ben 10 is one of my biggest gaps in terms of Cartoon Network fandom. I've tried the original show and bits of pieces of its varying spin-offs, but it just does nothing for me. I think I was a little too old for the series when it dropped, but clearly it's an important franchise for CN. If I recall right, they're working on another series now.

So I tried to give the OG another shot and spun through a few choice episodes. In this one, we travel to the future, where a grown-up Ben gives his son Kenny his own Omnitrix. We also get to see an older (and skinnier) Grandpa Max and cousin Gwen show up for the glorious day, although Ken's mom is MIA.

While he still messes with his cousin, this Ben is a little more mature now, which makes sense as Kenny is basically a futuristic retread of his old man. Feeling like his father doesn't respect him, Ken hopes to use his Omnitrix for his own whims with his buddy Devlin. While the two have fun with Ken's new powers, things go awry when Ben's long-time enemy Kevin 11 escapes prison, drops a bombshell, and finds a way to use Ken's powers to his advantage.

This is pretty decent stuff, although knowing what I know about the franchise, I'm surprised that Kevin's still a bad guy here. Also knowing what I do about the franchise, I'm sure they'll find a way to explain and/or retcon this episode. But while I find Ben 10 to not have earned the gravitas other action shows claim as easily, I can find a charm here that explains its dedication.

Also, that theme song slaps.

#ben 10 #ben 10 classic #cartoon network #friday spotlight

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Cartoon Network Friday Spotlight: “Bugs Bunny Rides Again”

Most Looney Tunes fans are probably aware that Yosemite Sam was created by Friz Freleng as an antagonist for Bugs Bunny who offered more of a challenge than the dimwitted Elmer Fudd, but let me share a more personal fun fact about the character- he and Foghorn Leghorn were my grandfather’s favorite Looney Tunes characters. He enjoyed a good Bugs or Daffy cartoon without him as much as anyone (as well as the Road Runner and Coyote, but those were my grandmother’s favorites), but those two characters were always the ones he looked out for. I remember watching a Super Chunk that was 3 hours of Foghorn Leghorns that he was ecstatic for, and in his later years, he’d leave the channel on when Looney Tunes returned to air at noon on CN in between National Geographic and the Discovery Channel.

So yeah, Sam’s kind of special to me (and yes, I’m from the south- if you consider Central Florida the south, anyway), although I do also like Freleng’s reasoning for the character’s existence. At some point Bugs’ retaliation on Elmer can border on bullying, but Yosemite Sam is always able to justify his actions.

This isn’t Sam’s first rodeo, but by this short, the character was already well-defined. He’s loud mouthed, abrasive, and doesn’t quit until he gets what he wants- no mamby pamby, indeed. When Bugs refuses to exit a saloon on his behalf, the two challenge each other around town until Sam gets his way. Or so he thinks.

Some of the character’s most recognizable iconography is introduced here, like Sam’s slow walk, his battle of escalation with Bugs, and their unforgettable dance off, which was immortalized during the Powerhouse era. I can see Bugs’ inability to lose the majority of the time be tiresome to some viewers, but nah, I can watch his cartoons all day. As long as you throw at least one of his tangos with Sam in for good measure.

#looney tunes #yosemite sam #bugs bunny #bugs bunny rides again #cartoon network #friday spotlight

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Cartoon Network Friday Spotlight: Captain Planet and the Planeteers- “Jail House Flock”

Huh, I haven’t really talked about Captain Planet before, have I? It’s not a very good show, but it’s important, especially for the man arguably most responsible for Cartoon Network, being Ted Turner’s brainchild and all. It’s also an aggressively serious show that took heavy material seriously... but still had time for a little dumbness, because who doesn’t?

I believe by this point, production switched from Dic to Hanna-Barbera, which I have no real opinion on. Anyway, in this episode, Captain Planet and his Planeteers are arrested when they try to stop regular villain Hoggish Greedley from destroying some wetlands to build houses. It turns out that Greedley had a permit, although Captain Planet and his crew deduce that there’s something up. The Planeteers are bailed out by Greedley himself, but Captain Planet is forced to stay behind bars, so the kids decide to dig into whatever dirt they can find.

It’s a fun time, especially worth watching to see Captain Planet in prison stripes, which I won’t spoil here. Additionally, Kevin Conroy does some voice work in the episode, and it’s always nice to hear the man, the Bat, the legend himself. This won’t be a bad way to see the series for yourself.

#captain planet #captain planet and the planeteers #cartoon network #friday spotlight

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Cartoon Network Friday Spotlight: “The Jet Cage”

At this point in Warner animation’s history, the studio was in steady decline, yet still had enough of its top staff to still make somewhat entertaining cartoons, if below the standards of early Looney Tunes and Merry Melodies.

“The Jet Cage” seldom comes up as a favorite Sylvester & Tweety outing for a reason, but it’s plenty watchable especially if you know what will happen to the studio even two years later. In this one, lonely homebased canary Tweety wants to fly with the other birds, but is too tiny to be trusted outside, with that dreadful pussycat (Granny doesn’t own Sylvester this week). But his problem has a solution, as there’s a jet-propelled bird cage that can let Tweety fly!

The rest of the cartoon focuses on Sylvester’s futile attempts to catch the yummy-looking canary, and it results in a couple of good gags. But make note of how the animation has declined, as well as the music. The budgets were getting cheaper and using shortcuts wherever they could, like having us watch Sylvester’s reaction to Granny’s awkward attempt to build the cage rather than seeing it. Additionally, Carl Stalling had long stepped down as franchise composer, and reportedly his replacement, Milt Franklin, died during production of this short and was replaced with William Lava, whose scores are... not great.

Ah well, at least the ending was kind of clever.

#looney tunes #sylvester and tweety #the jet cage #cartoon network #friday spotlight

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Cartoon Network Friday Spotlight: Camp Lazlo- "The Book of Slinkman"

Camp Lazlo was never one of my favorites, but I recognize that I wasn't in the target demographic when it was airing, while the series remains special for those who were at the time, so let's give it some roses.

This week, Samson, who's running the mail department today, makes a mistake and accidentally sends the Bean and Squirrel Scouts the wrong manuals. Jane Doe, the Squirrel Scoutmaster, promptly trashes her manual, while Slinkman (who to be fair, was received an advanced edition, aka a title-less cover) doesn't recognize the difference and has his scouts try out their new activities, like... baking while roller skating. Or speed dressmaking.

Weird, but the campers go along with it, as well as their new uniforms, which look distinctly like Acorn Flats' until they reach the end of the book, where all of Camp Kidney is put on an avoid list, leaving them all to be quarantined.

Is it problematic to see a bunch of boys try traditionally feminine activities like making and wearing dresses? I'm not sure. On the one hand, the joke is kind of on them, but at the same time, everyone goes along with it and seems to enjoy themselves, so I'd argue that this is a less distressing example of transphobia. Honestly, if boys want to look a little girly, why should we stop them? The episode ends with the Bean Scouts returning to their "manly" selves, though, so make of that what you will. Still, I think it's kind of cute on the whole.

#camp lazlo #cartoon network #friday spotlight #joe murray

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Cartoon Network Friday Spotlight: Dexter’s Laboratory- “D&DD”

Y’all probably don’t need me reminding you of this, but the Dexter’s Lab crew were big ol’ dorks. And this translated to other shows in the Cartoon Network canon- Craig McCracken will gladly recount the tales of The Powerpuff Girls team holding speed run contests for Ocarina of Time.

So yeah, it shouldn’t be a surprise if Genndy and crew were into tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons, because why wouldn’t they be? While tabletop RPGs have slowly crept their way into the cooler side of nerddom, they were still kind of niche 25+ years earlier when this episode first air. You could get a non-geek to see a super hero movie, but for the most part, only the biggest losers would play one of these games. Luckily that’s changed, but hey, that works for Dexter back then, doesn’t it?

In “D&DD”, we see some of Dexter’s inconsistent friends, but not Douglas (or Mordecai, I guess, which he’s later called in the post-revival seasons. Apparently that’s his last name, which I assume they came up with to not make people think of Dexter Douglas from Freakazoid!) play Mazes & Monsters, with Dexter as the dungeon master. Dexter is an unforgiving master, causing his friends to revolt and anoint Dee Dee when she expresses interest in joining.

Unsurprisingly, it turns out that Dee Dee is a solid, if unconventional DM, and she leads Dexter and his friends to victory in a fun little lark. I’ll confess that I’ve never been a TT RPG guy, so while some things fly over my head, it still works as a fun episode thanks to the ever-enjoyable conflicting personalities between Dee Dee’s bountiful joy and Dexter’s ego. That said, I wish we could have seen more of the other game Dee Dee started up at the end.

#dexter's laboratory #cartoon network #cartoon cartoon #friday spotlight

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Cartoon Network Friday Spotlight: The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy- “Tickle Me Mandy”

I tend to find the earlier Billy & Mandy episodes a little bit dated, but I was a fan since day one, so I really shouldn’t. This is the version of the show that I fell for, after all, and some of these episodes are still pretty darn good.

I like this one, for instance, where Mandy is leaving town for the day (oh, the humanity!) and a lonely Billy doesn’t know how to spend his time apart from his best friend. Seemingly forgetting that he co-owns the literal Grim Reaper, Grim decides to help Billy out with a bit of old-school Cinderella magic, putting a watermelon onto a set of wheels and creates a new version of Mandy, perfect for Billy to play with!

However, this Mandy is possessive and doesn’t take Billy’s need for personal space well. Which is funny, since Billy couldn’t imagine a day without Mandy, but he’s too dumb to appreciate the irony.

It’s a cute episode, with the kind of classic dark ending that you’d expect for Billy & Mandy, and it also shows off Grey DeLisle’s range. Definitely a good time, and you learn a valuable lesson- don’t mess with science.

#the grim adventures of billy and mandy #billy and mandy #cartoon network #friday spotlight

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Cartoon Network Friday Spotlight: "Goonland"

Aww, look at baby Popeye!

I talked about Kings Features' take on Popeye's quest for Poopdeck Pappy, his long-lost father, but instead let's look at Fleischer's original short doing so (do NOT look for the color remake, which seemingly replaces a letter in this short's title with designing the titular Goons).

In this short, Popeye finds the hidden from public Goonland, where his missing Pappy is speculated to be isolated from. While Popeye succeeds in fitting in with the odd-looking Goons, who imprison those who don't match their odd design, he runs into a problem when he finds Pappy, who has no interest in reuniting with his son.

That is, until the Goons find out and start attacking. Then we return to some classic Popeye violence as father and son team up to kick some ass. It's a good time, one that ends sweetly and shows the Fleischer Studios' love for messing with the animated form. Sometimes that's all you need.

#popeye #fleischer studios #cartoon network #goonland #friday spotlight

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Hihi! Im here to excitedly announce to you that Cartoon Orbit has been independently revived as Cartoon Reorbit! Would love to have you and plenty more 90s kids and OG Orbit users to join this nostalgic website! It’s been such a fun game to play again. Also has its own discord server if you’d like to join it.

Wow, thank you! Will check this out.

#answered #cartoon orbit

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Cartoon Network Friday Spotlight: Tiny Toons Looniversity- "Save the Loo Bru"

Confession time- I like Tiny Toons Looniversity better than Animaniacs 2020. I think going for a full-fledged reboot has done the show wonders, and I've been thinking of a bigger piece where I discuss how this reflects who the Looney Tunes are today among other things.

For now, let's just talk about a specific episode. If you're not familiar with this take on the Toons, Buster and Babs (relation this time) are freshmen at the prestigious Tiny Toons Looniversity, where they hope to learn how to be like their cartoon idols. Unfortunately in this episode, the Toon crew (which still features Plucky, Hamton and Sweetie Pie) discover that the school's iconic coffee shop, run by Taz and served by Dizzy Devil, is going to be closed down by young tycoon Montana Max. Perfect timing for Buster, who is learning about his need for an archrival.

The rest of the episode has Buster use some of his idol's (guess who?) tricks to get at Max, including an extended bit in drag, to get him to fail. And who doesn't love some classic Looney Tunes action?

It's funny stuff, a lot of fun. Will hopefully expand on this later.

#tiny toon looniversity #cartoon network #hbo max #tiny toon adventures how i spent my summer vacation #friday spotlight

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Cartoon Network Friday Spotlight: Adventure Time- “Burning Low”

I’m probably due for a full Adventure Time rewatch rather than just going through favorite parts.

I’m still particularly fond of Finn and Flame Princess’ relationship, as doomed as it was. Who can forget this episode, where it’s time in their relationship to go to step 2, aka smoochin’. Don’t even think about step 15!

Things get complicated when Princess Bubblegum finds out, and she tries to stop Finn from seeing FP anymore, which leads to one of the episode’s most iconic scenes, in an episode full of them. This one in particular has Finn’s perfectly placed freakout to PB, where he finally pours his heart out over his past unreciprocated feelings for her. While that’s not where she’s going, it’s a deserved moment that I come back to.

But who can forget Jake’s bacon pancake song, which inspired a dish at the Cartoon Network Hotel, or the explosive finish to the episode? This is loaded with good stuff, right around the show’s peak.

#adventure time #cartoon network #friday spotlight

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Cartoon Network Friday Spotlight: Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends- “Seeing Red”

One of the things I find interesting about Terrence is how utterly repentant he is as an antagonist. You can name most other cartoon shows with a bully character like him, and those characters largely have the occasional moment of empathy towards the protagonist. Not Terrence, not even with his brother. Maybe I’m forgetting something, but the guy is always a prick.

In one of the show’s handful of “half episodes”, Terrence tries to come up with his own imaginary friend that can beat up Bloo so he can continue his reign of terror on Mac. This leads to the creation of Red, a square block (guess what color he is), who doesn’t quite live up to expectations. Red is a peaceful fella who would rather sniff the roses and make nice with the inhabitants of Foster’s, which just won’t do for the show’s primary nuisance.

It’s a pretty cute episode, but I know what most people remember from it- Terrence’s first creation, pizza! Yes, I have to share the scene. The rest of the episode is somewhat trial and error, which is fun to watch. I distinctly remember this and the show’s few other segments showing up regularly in the Cartoon Planet reboot back in 2012. Since it wasn’t practical to show a regular half-hour episode of Foster’s, it wasn’t unheard of for one of these shorter stories to appear alongside segments of, say, Kids Next Door or Dexter’s Lab. I remember watching this regularly before the older shows were swapped out for more recent fair like Adventure Time and Gumball, which are great of course, but you could see those shows all day on the channel. Ah well.

#foster's home for imaginary friends #cartoon network #friday spotlight

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The Funky Phantom - 1971

#the funky phantom

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Cartoon Network Friday Spotlight: “Odor-able Kitty”

Ah, Pepe le Pew. Does he really earn the controversy he’s acquired over the years? Eh, kind of. But at least his debut is a little tamer than many of his shorts. Maybe.

Instead of Penelope, we follow an orange cat who keeps being harassed around town and can no longer take it, so he paints himself black with a white stripe to avoid the humiliation. Now that everyone sees a skunk, they won’t give him the time of day, which is what he wants.

But what he doesn’t want is a horny little skunk who sees a mate and tries to follow “her” by any means. This results in the kind of gags you’d expect, as well as some you may not, including a Bugs Bunny “cameo” and an ending that comes somewhat out of left field.

I almost want to say poor Henry, but I also don’t feel sorry for him. Still, as a pilot for a potential subseries goes, I think this is effective and paints the character of Pepe well- a horndog whose odor is almost as repulsive as his behavior. His lust and refusal to accept no as an answer isn’t justified, and he does get come-uppance, so I think this short, at least works better than some of his later ones. But you know what they say, love is blind... or can’t smell, anyway.

#looney tunes #pepe le pew #cartoon network #friday spotlight

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#ad

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#oh man I remember this! #fun marathon #captain caveman #ad

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Cartoon Network Friday Spotlight: Ed, Edd n' Eddy- "Every Which Way but Ed"

Twenty five years ago yesterday, Ed, Edd n' Eddy first aired! I seriously believe that the one two punch of this and The Powerpuff Girls, premiering within a month and a half of each other, is what pushed Cartoon Network into the place to watch for fans of animation.

The former, a refinement of what the new Hanna-Barbera crew were doing with Dexter's Laboratory and Johnny Bravo into the ultimate version of itself, while the latter was a rejection of the soon-to-become Cartoon Network Studios method and its adherence to HB and UPA's art styles and influence, aiming for a more striking balance of classic and contemporary animation. Powerpuff Girls showed what the CN crew could do, while EEnE proved why some outside influence was necessary. And of course, both shows became massive hits that redefined the network for the coming decade and beyond.

What episode should I talk about? I decided to go with this season 5 classic, which feels like an early attempt to ease fans into the changes for the show's last full run by staying away from school and proudly boasting its new digital coloring. That's probably why this aired before the real season premiere, "Out with the Old... in with the Ed", which set up the return to the school year, although I would've swapped the first half, "Mission Ed-Possible" (another classic, albeit one that messes with continuity) with another class-less episode.

But enough rambling. This story is almost entirely flashback based, similarly to season 4's mock clipshow "The Good Ol' Ed", except this time the memories are real, just not familiar to the audience. We see details like how Plank got the chip on his block, how Jimmy busted his teeth, and Nazz's "big" phase. All good stuff, leading to memorable bits (who can forget Ed's "you bet your sweet bippy I did" and the automatic response), but the centerpiece is saved for last.

Baby Eds! We get to see how the boys met each other for the first time, as seen above, and it's the cutest thing. We get there with some classic cartoon violence and the show's ever-wild sense of humor, things that I'll never take lightly. This show remains as entertaining as ever 25 years on, and I bet the same will be true when we hit the big 5-0. I hope you all agree!

#ed edd n eddy #cartoon network #cartoon cartoon #friday spotlight